Sean Duffy: Trump Admin 'in a Race' to Take Over the Moon
By: Charlie Nash (Mediaite)
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
President Donald Trump's acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy directed the government to "move quickly" to build nuclear reactors on the moon, according to a memo documenting the Trump administration's plans to beat China in a new space race.
According to ABC News, which obtained a copy of the directive issued by Duffy - who also serves as the Secretary of Transportation - the Trump administration considers "nuclear power on the moon" to be "critical to the United States' space exploration and national security goals," prompting Duffy to direct the government to "move quickly" to beat China to the punch.
"Since March 2024, China and Russia have announced on at least three occasions a joint effort to place a reactor on the Moon by the mid-2030s," warned Duffy. "The first country to do so could potentially declare a keep-out zone which would significantly inhibit the United States from establishing a planned Artemis presence if not there first."
During a press conference on Tuesday, Duffy announced, "We're in a race to the moon, in a race with China to the moon."
He added, "And to have a base on the moon, we need energy, and some of the key locations on the moon, we're going to get solar power. But this vision technology is critically important, and so we've spent hundreds of millions of dollars studying."
"Can we do it? We are now going to move beyond studying, and we are going," the acting NASA administrator concluded. "We have given direction to go. Let's start to deploy our technology, to move to actually make this a reality."
Former NASA administrator Bill Nelson also warned during the Biden administration that Russia and China were planning to build a base on the moon.
"We must be very concerned about China landing on the moon and saying: It's ours now and you stay out," said Nelson.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry accused Nelson of "smearing China" with his "irresponsible remarks," describing the claim as "slander."
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This is pure insanity.
meh...Don't need to build a huge reactor. There are package nuclear power plants that can be placed on the moon. I got to visit those small reactors when I was in the Air Force. They powered seismographic equipment to monitor Soviet nuclear activity
Why do we need to go to the moon?
Because its there?
Someone wants to make a lot of money off needless space exploration.
There is a reason NASA faded from public consciousness after landing on the moon and with the space shuttles. Been there done that.
I see a lot of potential in space exploration including going back to the moon and harvesting resources up there.
If we had perfected life on earth, maybe. We need to use our resources here. Space travel is a fiction, it does not work in the context of a normal human life span. Maybe we can make it to Mars and establish a base there, so what? What is that going to do for starving and warring people on earth? IMO nothing.
Space exploration WILL be exploited to make money. Have you seen the movie Aliens ?
Perfection is not attainable and we have limited resources we squabble and kill each other over.
So? There's nothing wrong with making money
A work of fiction, John. A good work, but fiction just the same
Perfection is not attainable and we have limited resources we squabble and kill each other over.
That's been true since the beginning of life on this planet. "Perfection" was reached with the first RNA crystals content with the resources to continue to replicate until the resources ran out, then the only other resource for life to continue was others that had that resource, so some developed into predators to kill and take the resource and others developed to protect themselves and evolution took over from there to where we are now, up against another barrier and life now has the opportunity to break that barrier and move to space.
Human beings do not live long enough to make space travel practical , unless someone can re-invent the scientific principles that control existence.
There are many many things from NASA that help out people on Earth right now. With funding there will be even more.
NASA spin-off technologies
Since you've seen the movie then you remember that "making money" in space led directly to the creation of monsters entirely capable of destroying humanity ( the corporation wanted to bring samples of the aliens back to earth (for profit) , where they could breed and kill us all).
Human being are not well suited to fly across mountain ranges or to plumb the depths of our oceans, but we figured that out. Everything starts out as a dream, a wish, a spark of an idea. They become passionate and share their idea, the plan, they test, the fail and find more people to plan and test again until it works.
It is conceivable humanity never immigrates off earth. It is absolutely certain humanity never progresses if they stop trying.
Yes, I've seen that movie about a bezillion times. And yes, we have corporations that all about making money and damn the consequences. Coal mine owners are a prime example.
But we will never know unless we try...and put in a few regulations about bringing back Xenomorphs
Oh come on.... they just want to pick crops and clean houses. /s
And make babies with our dogs
As long as it's this alien, I'm all for it.
You did see that movie didn't you?
Worth it !!!!!
If you want to be scared of a fictional vicious alien lifeform making it to earth Alien(s) is a good one but I'd recommend fearing Calvin from the movie Life
Only 122 years ago powered flight was unheard of, but we tried and learned how to accomplish it and over time got better and better at it. Nothing has ever been accomplished by not trying
Ok if you want to be eaten after you mate....
Its not a question of "accomplishment" its a question of "why"? Yes, there is a subset of human beings who find it endlessly fascinating and even inspiring to dream about colonizing other worlds. But why should it actually be a priority? I dont believe there is a good reason. And it may be impossible - nothing can travel faster than light.
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bing copilot
🌍 Closest Potentially Habitable Planet to Earth
The nearest known potentially habitable exoplanet is Proxima Centauri b, located just 4.24 light-years away from Earth. It orbits Proxima Centauri, the closest star to our Sun, and lies within the star’s habitable zone—where conditions might allow for liquid water.
🪐 Key Facts About Proxima Centauri b
Distance: ~4.24 light-years
Mass: ~1.3 times Earth’s
Orbital Period: ~11.2 Earth days
Star Type: Red dwarf (low luminosity, high stellar activity)
Habitability Concerns:
Likely tidally locked (one side always faces the star)
Subject to stellar flares that could strip away atmosphere
No confirmed atmosphere yet
🧭 Other Nearby Candidates
Wolf 1069 b: ~31 light-years away, Earth-like mass and radius, possibly habitable
L 98-59 f: ~35 light-years away, part of a system with diverse rocky planets, including a possible water world
Wolf 1061 c: ~14 light-years away, in the “Goldilocks zone,” but habitability is uncertain due to stellar conditions
🚀 Can We Get There?
Even at 4.24 light-years, Proxima b is astronomically far:
With current tech (e.g. Voyager speed), it would take tens of thousands of years.
Concepts like Breakthrough Starshot aim to send microprobes at 20% light speed, reaching Proxima b in ~20 years—but this is still theoretical.
If you want, I can break down what it would take to actually reach Proxima b—or explore how scientists assess habitability in exoplanets.
And if lucky, before as well.
nice
To fulfill the human drive to explore, to gain knowledge, to further our technology, to spread our seed beyond one planet and many other reasons.
While currently we lack the ability to do so, does not mean we should not strive to attain it
Without progress there is only stagnation or regression
I think it is worthwhile.
If JFK proposed it, we would all be in church giving thanks.
If you were standing on Mars this what the earth would look like.
These images were taken by the Curiosity rover on Mars in 2014.
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We are going to get in a race to put nuclear on the moon so we can win the race to get to Mars.
Are these people nuts?
There is no reason to go to Mars any time in the foreseeable future, and it is entirely possible there will never be a reason to go to Mars.
But if there was such a legitimate compulsion it has to be an international project. Earth is a speck in the night sky to Mars, it is not a place of "warring" countries.
That's what some people said once about crossing oceans on earth.
When explorers crossed the ocean they were still in the same place, on earth. The longest exploration expedition I believe lasted less than 5 years.
You cant get anywhere in space in 5 years, except Mars. People who think we are going to transport enough people to live on Mars that it would alleviate overpopulation on earth are hallucinating.
So when we go to Mars we will still be in the same universe, so why bother?
Weren't some of them told they told they would fall off the edge of the world? Pre 500 BC cultures thought the world was flat. Shouldn't they have just stayed home? Dimitri Ivanovski and Martinus Beijerinck weren't the first scientists told that humors, not tiny microscopic virus' made people ill. Shouldn't they have just went into farming?
The issue isn't what we can imagine today. It's what we can imagine we can do tomorrow. The technological possibilities of long space flight would have repercussions in medical health. Working out how to live on Mars could revolutionize how we live on Earth. Just saying we can't, or shouldn't, explore our possibilities is just wrong on so many levels.
There are 8 billion people on the planet, we are either going to have to thin the herd, or mother earth will do it for us, or colonize elsewhere.
5 Reasons Fantasizing About Life on Mars is a Waste of Time
Look, I love a good escapist fantasy as much as the next burned-out Earthling. Give me sprawling sci-fi landscapes, sleek space suits, and dramatic monologues about “the future of humanity,” and I’m in. But let’s talk plainly: this obsession with life on Mars? It’s not just misguided—it’s a cosmic-level distraction.
1. We Can’t Even Handle Earth
Before we go colonizing another planet, maybe we should prove we can sustainably live on the one we already have. Rising sea levels, food insecurity, wildfires, droughts, political collapse—do we really think we’re going to build a utopia on a red rock that makes the Sahara look like a luxury resort?
The idea that we’ll solve Earth’s problems by abandoning ship is not innovation. It’s evasion. And worse, it’s elitist—because spoiler alert: only the wealthiest would be buying a one-way ticket to Mars. The rest of us? Still stuck here, breathing in wildfire smoke and trying to afford lettuce.
2. Mars Is Not Actually That Cool
Let’s demystify this a bit. Mars is hostile . Its atmosphere is 95% carbon dioxide, average temperatures hover around -80 degrees Fahrenheit, and the radiation exposure alone would make your dermatologist weep. No breathable air, no liquid water (not really), and no magnetic field to shield you from cosmic rays. It’s not a blank slate for a new society—it’s a vacuum-sealed coffin waiting to happen.
3. The Billionaire Fantasy Industrial Complex
You know who really wants to go to Mars? Billionaires. And not because they’re visionaries—they just don’t want to pay taxes or deal with the social contracts that come with living on Earth. Mars becomes the ultimate libertarian fantasy: no regulations, no labor laws, no history of colonization (yet), and no pesky public to answer to.
But Mars isn’t a fresh start. It’s a projection of our worst impulses—extractive, escapist, and entirely unrooted from the collective work required to build a livable future here .
4. We Don’t Need Another Frontier
There’s this tired myth in Western storytelling that the answer to every problem is a new frontier. When things get hard, we go west. When west is full, we go to the moon. When the moon doesn’t pan out, we set our sights on Mars. But this relentless urge to leave instead of repair is how we got into this mess in the first place.
What if the radical act isn’t running away, but digging in? What if the great experiment of the 21st century isn’t about building biodomes on a dead planet—but reimagining life, justice, and stewardship on the miraculous, living one we’ve got?
5. We Have Everything We Need—Right Here
Earth is astonishing. It’s abundant. It’s resilient. It’s beautiful beyond measure. And it’s in crisis. The same minds dreaming up terraforming projects on Mars could be channeling that energy into climate solutions, sustainable agriculture, housing, healthcare, and all the other things we actually need to survive and thrive.
The fantasy of Mars is seductive because it offers distance—from our failures, from our systems, from ourselves. But we don’t need distance. We need proximity. We need intimacy with the problems—and the people—right in front of us.
So no, I’m not buying the Mars hype. Not when there’s still so much wonder—and work—to do right here on Earth.
Let’s start here. Let’s stay.
I'm all for trying to clean up the mess we made to make Earth a better place. You made some excellent points in your comment.
One thing to think about...are the billionaires going to put in the time, work, and sweat it's going to take to make Mars livable or are they going to bring a rocket full of servants to do the heavy lifting for them?
Robots.
However:
Good points all
What I would be afraid of in the pursuit of quicker space travel, is we get a crew started in the quickest way, at the time, to another solar system with suspended animation, but during their flight we discover and even quicker way where suspended animation isn't required and another crew is sent to the same location, but because of energy conservation cannot slow to pickup the other crew. The first crew would have to complete their journey only to find we had already colonized the planet.
Read a book with that as the story line. Colony ship enroute to a far planet, took multiple generations for it to get there. When they arrived they were greeted by humans that had developed FTL travel.
I "think" I liked the book, but do not remember title or author.
Is this the one? This was a good story and I met and liked A. E. van Vogt but his wife was much better.
Possibly. I have read some of his books, but can't remember if that was one. I believe Heinlein also wrote one in that vein.
You met him? How cool, despite his penchant towards Scientology.
Which means those American tax dollars are not working for Americans but will be wasted on the moon in a vanity project.
Republicans adding another trillion dollars to our national debt? They already gave away trillions to billionaires in the "big beautiful bill".
Where is this money coming from?
If any Democrat proposed this MAGA would be screaming, spend it on Americans instead.